Holden Luntz Gallery - Three Generations in the Art World
Holden Luntz Gallery opened its doors in 1999, but in reality, it started as a legacy long before. Belonging to a lineage of art dealers, Holden Luntz Gallery has deep-rooted ties in the art world that stretch over 50 years, from the Midwest to the Northeast and presently in South Florida.
Essentially, the Luntz family has been selling fine art for over five decades. The first Luntz to become an art dealer was Holden’s father, Irving Luntz. A trained engineer and musician, although ultimately an auto-didact, Irving Luntz taught himself about the art world and opened his first gallery in Milwaukee in 1959. Working with top dealers from the art world’s hubs like New York, London, and Paris, he built a market for collectors outside of the big cities.
Irving Luntz opened Irving Galleries in 1974 in Worth Avenue, selling blue-chip modern masters and contemporary art. Once in Palm Beach, Irving became one of the most-prominent dealers to bring post-war contemporary art to the South. Irving Luntz’s collection included some of the most influential artists of the 20th century. These included Pablo Picasso, Frank Stella, Robert Motherwell, Jean Dubuffet, Roy Lichtenstein, Louise Nevelson, Andy Warhol, and Jim Dine, to name a few. From working personally with Helen Frankenthaler to building major art collections for clients, Irving Luntz became a significant figure on WorthAvenue.
Holden Luntz, the gallery’s namesake, followed in his father’s footsteps when it came to the art world. After graduating with a Master of Fine Arts degree from New York University, Holden returned to his native town of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Once there and in his early twenties, Holden opened an art gallery. Traveling back and forth from New York to Milwaukee, working with dealers, clients, and artists, Holden Luntz learned the trade and became a rising art dealer.
While the Palm Beach Irving Galleries boomed with business in the thriving art market of the 1980s, Holden eventually made his way down to Florida with Jodi, his wife, in 1981. Working for his father as gallery director, Holden began settling on the island in the early 80s, earning prominence as the second-generation fine art connoisseur. Although for Holden, his fascination with art came from a different source, he really loves photography.
After years in his father’s business, Holden and Jodi opened Holden Luntz Gallery in 1999, in the second-floor mezzanine of Irving Galleries. Claiming presence with perhaps that same pioneering spirit, Holden opened one of the very first galleries to specialize in fine art photography in the Southeastern United States.
Curating an inventory of exceptional photography, Holden Luntz Gallery presents a varied aesthetic range of photography. The inventory ranges from portraiture to alternative photography to wet collodion and sublimated aluminum prints. The gallery’s collection offers classic photographers like Henri-Cartier Bresson, Brassaï, André Kertész, Frank Horvat, Berenice Abbott, Edward Weston, and Horst P. Horst. Also shown is a diverse collection of contemporary photography from Harry Benson, Massimo Listri, David Yarrow, Stephen Wilkes, Michael Eastman, Karen Knorr, and Garry Fabian Miller. Indeed, Holden Luntz crafted his own niche in the fast-moving art world and continued the family’s art dealing legacy.
Jaye Luntz, Holden and Jodi’s daughter, opened JL Modern with Gabriel Gordon, who has been with Holden Luntz Gallery for over 14 years. JL Modern is a new contemporary photography gallery on Worth Avenue in its third year, sharing the same street as her parents and grandparent before her. Growing up surrounded by great art, she discovered her calling and passion early in life. Similar to Holden, Jaye studied art history. She interned at the Howard Greenberg Gallery, later moving to New York, working with a high-end clientele at Christie’s, and followed by working at the online auction start-up, Bidsquare. Soon after, Jaye moved back to Florida and, with Gabriel Gordon, who was already adept at the intricacies of running the art business, opened up the newest addition to the family’s repertoire of exceptional galleries. Broadcasted in several publications as a young collector and as a gifted and personable dealer, Jaye, like her predecessors, carries on to make a mark of her own.
In the art world, certain qualities are indispensable, trust, respect, and a knowledgeable eye. Thus, it is essential for galleries to cultivate relationships based on these premises. With over 50 years in the art industry and through years of collaboration with clients, the Holden Luntz Gallery family has demonstrated a commitment to excellence, time and time again. Within the Luntz family, you find continuity and an elevated vision for fine art. Most importantly, they strive to build nurturing relationships with art collectors, perhaps the key to their success.
